Mark 2 Lancer Assault Rifle
Background The signature weapon of the Gears of War series, the Lancer Assault Rifle is an assault rifle currently in use with the Coalition of Ordered Governments' armed forces. One of the most popular rifle designs on Sera, it's seen extensive use in every armed conflict since the Pendulum Wars, and currently serves as the standard-issue rifle of the COG's Gears. Its long service life comes from its rugged reliability, high accuracy, and ease of maintenance. The Lancer is a versatile, effective firearm, and has a surprisingly long effective range. Unlike the slow-firing (but accurate and powerful) Hammerburst used by the Locust Horde, the Lancer fires with a withering rate of fire and boasts considerably more ammunition per clip. Because of this, it is actually the more reliable of the two rifles, especially as the distance between the firer and the target closes. In this regard, it's an excellent foil for the Hammerburst, as the two have very different advantages (and disadvantages) from one another. While normally favored by the COG's Gears, the Locust have taken stock of the Lancer's advantages and in many situations have put the weapon to use. Theron Guards have a particular liking for the weapon, as do some Drones. A newer Drone subspecies in Gears of War 2, the Cyclops, makes extensive use of this weapon, as does the Locust Palace Guard. Gears fighting Locusts with Lancers are advised to take note of the weapon's drastically better suppressive fire capabilities over the Hammerburst, and note that they rarely shy from using its Chainsaw Bayonet if given the opportunity. If a Locust is charging with an Lancer it is likely going to use the Chainsaw Bayonet, so either take it down quickly or engage in a chainsaw duel with it. Pendulum Wars Era Lancer The Pendulum-War Era Lancer is the older model of the current Lancer that is now in use. It lacks the Chainsaw Bayonet and targeting scope of its modern contemporary, and instead, has a simple set of bayonet lugs below the barrel. These lugs can easily mount a standard combat knife, which acts as the weapon's bayonet. Lacking the modern Lancer's electronics, it also has a more conventional set of scope-mounting brackets on the receiver. This Pendulum Wars-Era Lancer is more likely than not in use with some rear-guard posts in the COG, and is purported to be a favorite among Stranded. After Emergence Day, the Lancer's design was revamped considerably; it was given a digital targeting system and a Chainsaw Bayonet, to counter the Locust Horde's predilection for close combat and superior physical strength. It has since become something of a symbol of distinction for the COG and its Gears. Tactical Use The Lancer is undeniably the easier of the two Assault Rifles in Gears to use, and it's certainly the more forgiving of the two. Though it isn't as potent in terms of single-shot damage as the Hammerburst, nor is it as accurate, the Lancer fires more than 4 times faster and holds more than 3 times as much ammunition per magazine. Because of this, the Lancer has substantially better sustainability than the Hammerburst, as well as offering superior suppressive-fire capabilities. The Lancer is fairly powerful, in spite of a relatively low single-round damage rating. Most of this comes from the Lancer's high fire rate; on full-auto, the Lancer deals fairly good damage, and boasts surprising accuracy - the Lancer is surprisingly controllable, even on fully-automatic. Because of this, the Lancer is actually decent even at longer ranges. Firing in bursts can increase the Lancer's accuracy substantially when dealing with foes at extreme-range. To get the most out of burst-firing very gently move the stick downward, while firing in 2-5 round spurts of gunfire every half-second or so. The result will be a cluster of rounds going to long range that will stay more-or-less on-target. Though this isn't the extreme-range marksmanship you can get from the Hammerburst, it will more than make up for the weapon's scatter at longer-range if used right. It won't be great at long-range, but it will work amicably in circumstances where you lack a longer-ranged weapon, like the Longshot. As distance closes, the Lancer becomes much more deadly. In medium to close range, the full-auto fire rate makes it great for cutting down foes as they close in or flee, and the generous magazine size of the Lancer means you can afford to miss nearly half the clip and still take someone down. The weapon's Blind Fire effect is quite deadly at close range as well (though not very accurate), and it proves extremely useful at keeping foes from charging directly at you, since the fusillade of fire the Lancer spews out will futz the enemy's aim up and risk of being Chainsawed will help keep them out of melee range. Aim for the head if possible; the Lancer does considerably more damage this way, and it's the difference between taking an enemy down in a fraction of a clip or using most of a magazine to do the same job. Also, note that when playing with teammates, the Lancer is incredible if your team can coordinate well. 2 team members concentrating full-auto fire with Lancers can cut down a squad of foes in the blink of an eye; this is a contrast to the Hammerburst which isn't nearly so effective when grouped up. This stems from the Lancer's rate of fire and clip size; it's very easy for teammates to see what you're firing at with the Lancer, and join you with fire support (or vice-versa). Do note, however, that the Lancer's damage comes from multiple rounds - its individual round-damage is low. While it can crank out immense damage over a few seconds - especially with a Perfect Reload - it has to spray rounds into the target to do it. Because of this, the Lancer will lose a damage race to several other weapons, including the Hammerburst if rapid-fired, Gorgon Pistol or Boltok Pistol at close range, and Scorcher. The best way to beat these weapons in a damage race is to take headshots. Moreover, the Lancer is middling-at-best at long range, and a poor choice at extreme distances; don't try to turn the weapon into something it isn't - if you're going to be fighting at long range, the Hammerburst, Longshot, Boomshot, Hammer of Dawn, and Torque Bow are all better long-range combat choices. If you play to the Lancer's strengths, however - keeping to medium range and relying on the Lancer's sheer fire rate to cut enemies down in a hail of bullets, and utilize the Bayonet if an enemy gets too close (you'll often find that merely using the Lancer is enough to discourage some enemies from getting close, especially if you make a habit of revving the engine on the Bayonet every now and then), and you'll find the Lancer to be a useful weapon indeed. Chainsaw Bayonet One of the Lancer's most appealing (and distinctive) features is its notorious Chainsaw Bayonet. The Chainsaw can be used to kill an enemy brutally, and instantly, using its razor-sharp, carbide-tipped blade and variable-torque motor. This is another reason the Lancer is so popular; the Hammerburst distinctly lacks this combat attachment. While the Chainsaw Bayonet in Gears of War was hard to use outside the element of surprise (as the slightest bit of damage would cause you to lower it - an intentional design decision since a Chainsaw kill offered invincibility), the Chainsaw Bayonet in Gears of War 2 does not get stunned easily, making it devastating in close-quarters and quite a desirable asset to have. Note that as of Gears of War 2, you are not invincible when Chainsawing an enemy. The Chainsaw Bayonet works very well with Smoke Grenades. Toss Smoke Grenades (or set them as mines), and when enemies get knocked down, you can run over and deliver the Coup de Grace with the Chainsaw. You can rev up the chainsaw by holding the B button (assuming default controls) when the Saw is raised. This does nothing but make a lot of noise - but it's a noise that can be heard by those nearby. Because of this, it proves a useful means of scaring enemies - if a newer player (and even many veterans) hear that Saw, they will try to figure out the source (largely to see if they're in danger of being Chainsawed or not), so this can prove a very effective tool for playing mind-games with foes. Bear in mind that in Gears of War 2, when two players rev up their chainsaws and go towards each other, both will enter a duel. You must keep tapping B to win the duel. They will also enter a duel regardless as long as the player being attacked has a Lancer equipped and is attacked from the front. When you are in for a duel, there are 3 things that might happen. First, if you tapped more times B that your foe, you will win, and your enemy will be sliced through with the chainsaw. Second, if your foe tapped more times B than you, you will face the same fate. And third, sometimes the console decides a draw, that is VERY unlikely to happen, but, if it happens both players will stop the duel, and will have another chance to try. Gold-plated Lancer A code to unlock a golden lancer will be included in the purchase of the limited edition of Gears of War 2 for use in multiplayer mode. These codes are similar to Xbox Live trial codes, and are unique. Once it is used, that particular code cannot be used again, preventing sharing. In the event that a player wielding the Golden Lancer is killed, another player may pick the weapon up and use it, regardless of whether or not they actually possess the Golden Lancer DLC. It does not appear to provide any in-game bonuses. Also, if two players sharing a console are playing multiplayer and one account has the Gold-Plated Lancer, the other account will have the option to use one regardless of whether or not they have unlocked it. Exploit for the Golden Lancer Code? Due to a bug on November 7th, in order to fix the problem, players need to go to their dashboard at the market place, followed by the Account Management, then Download History, and if the code was valid, players will be able to re-download it again with no problem. Gold Lancer gameplay footage ulnP5NX_9DI&fmt=6 Trivia *As with other weapons, the Lancer has several "affiliation lights". In the Lancer's case, two small bars along the sides of the weapon and the two small lights on either side of the clip holder will be either blue or red, depending on whether the user is a Gear or Locust, respectively. *The Lancer is extremely effective against The Sires, as the chainsaw bayonet is almost vital in surviving the level in which they appear. *The Lancer's Chainsaw Bayonet lowers rather slowly in Gears of War 1 when shot. *In Gears of War 2, you can Chainsaw an enemy along with a teammate for a Multiple Chainsaw Kill if you both get there in time. *The Gears of War 2 Lancer seems to have had it's chainsaw "pushed" back further inside the gun, shortening the grip for the gun, the grip is too small for the hands of the characters to go through so their fingers pass through part of the chainsaw. The original Lancer didn't have this design flaw. *In the Gears of War 2 Limited Edition Bonus Disk, it is mentioned in a documentary that Cliff Bleszinski wanted to add a chainsaw to a gun ever since he was little. When he put this idea out for Gears of War, several art designers, such as senior concept artist James Hawkins, didn't like the idea and then eventually came to like it once it was finalized. Lancer Category:Gears of War 2 weapons